School Year
Today marks the completion of Day 32 in the 2024-25 school year. I’ll be the first to say it is a bit startling that when peering around the corner, next week is October. Time definitely flies when having great times.
Enrollment
Our formal count day for State Funding was on Friday, September 20. Essentially, the overall enrollment number on that date (with a few other small variances to consider) is the number used by the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) to provide funding to schools. KSDE funds each full-time student to the tune of approximately $5,378 (again, a few weightings will cause the funding to increase for certain students), which essentially provides the bulk of our ‘state’ funds. And, of course, due to our collective efforts, this will be the first year in MANY that USD 230 will receive full state funding on ALL of our enrolled students since the legislature approved “current year” funding in addition to the long-standing “prior year.” Current enrollment K - 12 as of 9/27/24 is at:
Grade K - 322, Grade 1 - 327; Grade 2 -307; Grade 3 - 313; Grade 4 - 334; Grade 5 - 330; Grade 6 - 320; Grade 7 - 326; Grade 8 - 273; Grade 9 - 319; Grade 10 - 277; Grade 11 - 268; Grade 12+ - 266; Total - 3,982.
Although not a full-day program, our pre-kindergarten program for three and four-year-olds has an enrollment/headcount of approximately 143, and state funding for those students correlates to the overall hours attended.
Managing Our Growth into the Future
As you can see, our enrollment continues to increase, and it shows no signs of slowing in the coming years. When I accepted the position as Superintendent in March 2022, Spring Hill Schools had an enrollment of approximately 3,654 for PreK-12, and today, the PreK-12 enrollment is 4125, an increase of 471 students. Since the last Bond election in 2018, the PreK-12 enrollment has increased from 2,974 to the current 4,125, for an increased student enrollment count of 1,151, which translates to a whopping 38% increase since ONLY 2018.
With projections indicating a possible increase of 1000 students within the next five years and upwards of 1,500 students over the next ten years, it is essential that USD 230 patrons begin planning NOW in order to successfully manage the growth so that our educational programming and services can continue to be high-quality.
A group of patrons convened this past week to have a dialogue regarding what they felt was most important to address regarding facilities and programming in the next few years. These meetings are part of our ‘visioning process.’ The meetings will continue through October and November. The goal is for the Visioning Committee to have some recommendations to present to the USD 230 Board of Education in late 2024 or early 2025.
Stay tuned as there will be MUCH MORE insight presented in future editions. If you want to be part of this ‘visioning process,’ please let me know, as our meetings are ongoing, and there is a bit of a time commitment. You can reach out to me at luttrell@
District Website
I’ve mentioned in my previous editions that USD 230 is currently undergoing a review of our website provider and will likely transition to a new platform in Summer 2025. However, a lot of research is necessary to ensure that a good selection is made that will be user-friendly for parents, students, and staff. A brief survey is now available to patrons, asking them to provide insight on which functions are helpful and what content is important that should be available on our website. Taking the time to complete the survey would be appreciated.
Spring Hill Education Foundation
This month the Spring Hill Education Foundation is running their annual campaign to raise funds and awareness of their mission to enhance the educational opportunities for students, staff and patrons of Spring Hill Schools to that excellence can be reached in the classroom and beyond. As you know, these funds go right back into the classroom to provide teachers additional resources and most recently, SHEF awarded $50,000 to the Teaching and Learning Department to purchase and implement Project Lead the Way, which motivates, prepares, and supports teachers as they strive to make every student STEM-successful. Additionally, multiple scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors each year to continue their learning career and equip them for "the beyond." Please consider making an individual donation and/or consider a SHEF corporate sponsorship during the campaign season.
Noteworthy
The USD 230 Teacher of the Year Honorees for each school received a SURPRISE visit announcing this prestigious award and each was presented with a gift and certificate. These school-level honorees will now be eligible for the District Teacher of the Year Award (1 for K—5 and 1 for grades 6 - 12), which should be announced within the next couple of weeks. Congratulations to ALL honorees!!! You can view the list of honorees on our facebook page and also read some of the thoughtful quotes shared on their behalf.
First Option Bank presented USD 230 with a donation of approximately $26,000 at the Varsity Football game last Friday! The donation was made possible through a cash-back program available to First Option account holders with a Bronco Debit Card. First Option has made this great program available for many years that allows all individuals to participate effortlessly while contributing to USD 230. For more information on the program, visit First Option Bank School Debit Cards
Joke of the Week
Q: What do you call a small pepper in late autumn?
A: A little chili (Get it, a ‘chili pepper’...ha)
Have a Great weekend. There are lots of things to do tonight, as it is Homecoming at Bronco Stadium, with kick-off at 7 p.m. The Bronco Band, along with the Dazzlers, will perform at halftime, and the coronation of the King and Queen will follow. Check out the October Events Calendar online and it's also attached.
This weekend is also the 70th Annual Fall Festival for the City of Spring Hill. The parade will kick off on Saturday at 10 a.m. along Webster Street. There will be lots of other activities all weekend. For additional information on the Fall Festival, go to 70th Annual Fall Festival Spring Hill.
Be sure and follow some of our USD 230 Social Media Sites on Facebook: SHEarlyLearningAcademy, DCESCavaliers, PCESMustangs, SHESColts, TSESRangers, WCESWranglers, FSMSChargers, SHMSMavericks, WSMSStallions
Most importantly, follow me on ‘X’ at USD230Supt.
As always, reach out to me anytime with thoughts or questions.
